Attracting the Right Job Candidates With Online Employer Branding

When you’re hiring, you want top-quality people to apply. And so does everyone else who’s recruiting.

Today, most job candidates research your organization before you ever get their resumes. Much like shoppers on Amazon, they’re looking for reviews. They want inside information—to know what other people (who know you better) think of your company. They might hit your Web site first, and then go to other (more objective) places such as Glassdoor, Indeed, Facebook, CareerBliss, LinkedIn or other sites specific to your industry. To make the cut (and get that application) your organization’s image needs to be enticing and show off all the great things that working for you means.

Take control of your organization’s image.

It’s no secret, hiring is getting increasingly competitive. Unemployment is at a 17-year low, reports fortune.com and hourly earnings are up—making it an employee’s job market.

When an employee researches your company, you want them to see you at your best. But, how can you control your organization’s image? What are job candidates looking for on your Web site? How can you ensure that one disgruntled employee, one angry customer or a damaging news article don’t taint your ability to attract top talent? How can you get all these social channels to help you in marketing your organization?

Let’s start with your Web site, because it’s easiest to control. There’s no excuse for dated, boring information. Keep it updated with fresh and interesting content.

What’s your latest company news? Events, awards and press releases let potential employees see that you’re out there … making things happen. You don’t usually need to overhaul your Web site to do this. Simply offering prominently placed, regular updates is what’s important.

Tell visitors a little about your culture. Mission or values statements can help attract the right employees. Ziprecruiter.com suggest a “5 Reasons to Join Us” section.

Build a career section that sells your organization and is easy to use. In addition to listing open positions, consider including employee testimonials and some details about benefits and perks, suggests ZipRecruiter. And keep listings and information up to date. A user-friendly content management system enables someone (other than IT or the web team) to easily keep content tidy. Include social media links. Also remember to keep your online application process simple. Two-thirds of applicants quit in the middle of filling out applications because they’re hard to navigate. Test yours by filling out an application of your own.

Who are the key players? Your “about” page can include employee bios if you like. Do be aware that prospective employees may check out personal employee social media pages to see if they’re saying anything about their jobs or your organization.

Social media and career sites give job seekers additional information—things that are harder for you to control, but that you should be monitoring. While, for the most part, you can’t alter what former employees or unhappy customers say, you can ensure there’s plenty of positive information to tip the scale.

Career sites do have guidelines for users. For example, Glassdoor will remove inappropriate or proprietary information and does encourage balanced reviews by employees. Employers can’t alter or edit reviews and are discouraged from incentivizing employees to post positive reviews (but that doesn’t mean happy employees can’t post their own positive reviews). Also, while it may seem like the perfect place for disgruntled workers to vent, you can respond to any negative reviews through an employer account (which you can sign up for). This account also enables you to post your own information, e.g., benefits or photos showing your company culture at its best.

Social media is a great way to build your organization’s brand. By posting insider looks at current employees, perks, philanthropy, etc. on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other sites your customers or potential employees use, you can give prospective job seekers (or even passive ones) a look at what it’s like to work for your organization. Some good examples are: Hootsuite Careers, Careers at Dell and General Mills.LinkedIn is also a great talent-attraction vehicle. Encourage employees to create or update their individual profiles, add links and consistent brand messaging within their experience sections. When employees are active in industry LinkedIn groups and share employer content, it reflects on your organization … and to job seekers researching your company.

Competition for top talent is expected to keep increasing. And ineffective recruiting can hurt your business. With job seekers checking you out long before you even get a chance to interview them, it’s increasingly important to consciously and continuously build your organization’s brand online to attract the right people.